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Dynamic microtubules regulate cellular contractility during T-cell activation.

King Lam Hui1, Arpita Upadhyaya2,3

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|May 12, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Dynamic microtubules regulate T-cell activation by suppressing forces at the cell interface. This finding reveals a new role for the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton in controlling T-cell receptor (TCR) triggering and adaptive immunity.

Keywords:
T-cell activationactinmechanobiologymicrotubulemyosin II

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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • T-cell receptor (TCR) triggering is crucial for adaptive immunity.
  • Force transduction across the TCR complex influences T-cell activation.
  • Actin dynamics are essential for T-cell force generation, but their regulation is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the spatiotemporal regulation of actin dynamics during T-cell activation.
  • To elucidate the role of microtubules (MTs) in modulating T-cell force generation at the interface.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized traction force microscopy to measure forces generated by T cells.
  • Investigated the interplay between microtubules, actin dynamics, and signaling pathways at the T-cell interface.

Main Results:

  • Dynamic microtubules at the T-cell interface suppress Rho activation.
  • Microtubules inhibit nonmuscle myosin II bipolar filament assembly and actin retrograde flow.
  • Traction forces generated by T cells are modulated by microtubule dynamics.

Conclusions:

  • Microtubules play a novel regulatory role in T-cell force generation.
  • Microtubule-mediated suppression of actin dynamics is key to controlling T-cell activation.
  • Findings provide new insights into the mechanical regulation of adaptive immune responses.